A Three-Stage Comedy Circus

Every year, Hollywood's iO West hosts the L.A. Improv Festival, which has brought out such heavyweights as Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Drew Carey, Joel McHale, Jeffrey Tambor, Thomas Lennon and Bob Odenkirk to entertain and help neophytes improve their improv skills. This weekend, the theater organizes its first L.A. Scripted Comedy Festival, featuring "all things scripted," from stand-up and sketch comedy to podcasts and short films, across three stages. If you're feeling cocky and have your eye on a prize, you can enter one of the fest's five competition categories. If you'd rather sharpen your comedic chops, the fest also offers workshops on such topics as writing for film, TV and stage, all taught by writers from Saturday Night Live, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and MADtv, as well as current iO West instructors. (Surely, the members of Barbie's Dream House, The Horror and Karaoke Fridays With Drunk Girls have something to offer.) You'd be following in the footsteps of famous alums such as Stephen Colbert, Mike Myers, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Partial proceeds benefit the Chris Farley House, a Madison, Wis., drug-treatment program named after another iO West and SNL alum. iO West, 6366 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sun., March 21-24, 7 p.m.; free. (323) 962-7560, ioimprov.com/west. Thu., March 21; Fri., March 22; Sat., March 23; Sun., March 24, 2013